


Breaking Black Ice

by AngelTheForbidden (AngiLovesGaia)



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Angst, Blackmail, F/M, Heartbreak
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-14
Updated: 2014-09-16
Packaged: 2018-02-17 09:47:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,564
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2305355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngiLovesGaia/pseuds/AngelTheForbidden
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jackie has secretly been head over heels for Aster and vice versa, but a little miscommunication goes a long way in breaking hearts. Jackie already has a long-standing agreement with the Boogieman to keep the Nightmares at bay, but what will she do to mend a broken heart?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Confessions

**Author's Note:**

> I'm going to try to keep these chapters around 2000 words. They'll be easier to write, so I can post faster. This work is going to be somewhere between 5-7 chapters, I think.

"You can just tell her, you know."

Aster groaned at Tooth's suggestion as they tidied up for the first time since Pitch's invasion two years ago. She didn't understand his frustration; she wasn't the one who had fallen in love. He hadn't meant for this to happen, and especially so hard and so fast for Jacquelyn Frost. After all, she was the pretty young shelia that had nearly ruined the Easter of '68. However, everyone, except Aster himself, was oblivious to the object of his affections, but it obvious that he was smitten with someone.

"Tooth, it ain't that easy," he tried to explain. "The shelia's younger, a lot younger, and people would talk."

"We're practically immortals, what difference does age make?" she countered.

"She's practically an ankle-biter, and it ain't the age, it's tha experience," he argued.  
Tooth was about to come back with something when North's lumbering footsteps creaked down to their level of Tooth's Palace, closely followed by an energized Frost, who left a slick coating of ice on the railing as she slid down. The winter spirit landed on the floor, a crackling layer of ice shooting outwards from the point of impact as she stumbled a bit. Inexperienced was right, just a few centuries old, she still hadn't explored the full extant of her abilities, even after her hand in defeating Pitch.

"What experience?" she asked, her curiosity mild, but still slightly childlike.

"Shelia, we're supposed to be cleanin' Tooth's place, not freezin' it," he replied.

"If you want to keep her in the dark, then you're only hindering her experience more," Tooth stated.

"She's right, Bunny," North chimed in, irritating Aster. Of course, he knew what they were talking about and would side with Tooth. They had been an item since the Italian Renaissance and were within the blink of an eye in age. Why should they advise him on something they had never had a problem with?

"Right about what?" Jackie was openly intrigued now, her inner child bursting forth. Se hovered with her stomach parallel to the floor, her chin resting on her fists and her legs crossed in the air, as if she were lounging as someone whispered teenage gossip; her staff hung from the point where her ankles met. "Who's in the dark? About what? Why? What experience?"

Aster groaned loudly with exasperation, but the beast had been unleashed. She wasn't going to stop until she knew. He had no doubt she would freeze the Warren if it came to that. The Blizzard of '68 was just an appetizer for someone with the unmeasured power of the sweet frozen desert floating six feet in the air at his eye level. He eyed her staff warily

"Aster is in love!" Tooth squealed, giggling. "But no one knows who. Only that she's younger than he is."

"What!?" Jackie fell in surprise, barely escaping a face full of floor by landing on her hands and knees. Recovering quickly like schoolyard kid after a daring leap off of the equipment, she was back in the air in no time, upside-down like a bat. "Who is she? How'd you meet? Do I know her? Is she pretty? Is it Mother Nature?"

"Calm down, Jackie. Let Aster answer question," North laughed, righting her.

Aster watched her bare feet settle on the floor, the same dainty feet that he dreamed splashing in the Color River of his Warren. They were so small it was ugly by Pooka standards. He watched her fidget, picking at a chip of ice on her staff, and shuffling at her feet. The ice below her was thickening in anticipation; the more she waited, the antsier she became, and the more adorable she looked. Her crystal blue eyes were as big as googies, filled with what he assumed was impatience. She made his heart hurt and his chest tighten, her innocence was enchanting and alluring. She's a just child, he reminded himself, an ankle-biter. 

"Isn't this exciting?" Tooth buzzed giddily. "It's been so long since Bunny's had a love interest. What were you waiting for anyway?"

Jackie's brow furrowed. "Yeah, what were you waiting for? And when are you going to answer our, more importantly _my, _questions?"__

__Aster let out a long sigh and decided to tell the truth. Most of it anyway._ _

__"I've know the shelia for years, and the way we met ain't the best. All of ya know her, at least a lil'. And she's breathtaking," he confessed._ _

__"What do you mean 'ain't the best?'" Jackie probed, imitating his accent. "All the people I know of were introduced to you. C'mon, tell us. We're friends. Mates."_ _

__Tooth's eyes flashed with recognition, but Jackie blew a puff of air that sent her bangs flying and snowflakes whirling. She pouted as he remained silent, "Fine. I have a snow day to attend to."_ _

__And with that, she was gone. A flurry of flakes was left in her wake. She had lied, of course. She didn't have anywhere to be. Winter was over in both hemispheres._ _

__"Oh, my gosh!" Tooth shrieked excitedly. "It's her! Isn't it?"_ _

__Aster admitted defeat with a nod. He felt ashamed. She was too young, even though that wouldn't matter after a few centuries more, and she was all wrong for him. Her feet weren't much larger than her delicate hands, her strange little ears were never visible due to her hair, and her mouth was small with two straight rows of glittering teeth. She refused useful combat training, despite her obvious lack of knowledge, and spent all her time playing with children._ _

__She was nothing like a Pooka woman. How did he find her so attractive? How did she invade his dreams, replacing colorful googies growing in the grass with her slim form resting under his favorite tree? He spent hours thinking of how she might look asleep in his den or eating in his small kitchen. Would she show him around the woods surrounding her lake or invite him for a late night swim? He wondered what her small lips felt like and how she might taste._ _

__"So, why not go after her, huh? She has strong feelings for you, Bunny," North told him, making the thoughts vanish._ _

__Aster's heart jumped in his chest. He'd been so absorbed in his own secret infatuation and guilt, that he hadn't noticed the shift of Jackie's behavior. Instead of a punch to the arm after a victorious snowball fight with Jamie and his friends, she would smile meekly and turn away. Her hair would always be neater than it had been previously. She'd used to walk and freeze the ground below her without much thought, but lately she'd been gliding through the air, leaving flowers and ferns untouched by her frost. Had she done this all to impress him?_ _

__A new thought crossed his mind: if she thought he was in love with someone else, what would she do? Was the impatience he thought he saw in her eyes really something else?_ _

__"I'll talk to her, but that doesn't guarantee anything," he warned his two fellow Guardians._ _

__

__Pitch was waiting for me when I arrived. It was shortly after sunset when I made my way under the broken bed frame and down into the tunnels. I'd been coming here for nearly two years. A week after his defeat, Pitch had plagued me with the full force of his remaining Nightmares. Enduring it was impossible, the night terrors had driven me nearly mad after three weeks, so vivid and perfectly fabricated that I began to fear and distrust and even fear those closest to me._ _

__I dreamed I caught Bunny, planning to bomb a egg hunt with his googies, by exploring his Warren and finding the plans under a tree. And then Sandman, hypnotizing children into a permanent sleep. North was next, a map of my sister's graveyard tucked into a Necromancy book. Not even Tooth was innocent, as a cache of various child bones was discovered in the uppermost level of her palace. When I woke screaming, I always looked into it and found nothing, but that only helped my fear grow._ _

__So, I went to him. I begged him to stop, offering him anything he wanted if he would just stop. He had pleasantly accepted my offer, and told me, "Go home, get some rest, and come back to see me tomorrow night."_ _

__It was then that my true torture began. But I was too sleep-deprived to realize I was waltzing right into his hands, and eagerly accepted terms I didn't know for a good night's sleep. Looking back on it, I hate myself. I should've known from the start that he was planning something, and not only lashing out in the rage that came with defeat. When I descended into his lair once more, I had discovered his intentions too late. He was still determined to complete the union of cold and dark. I'd signed on to being his partner, a distraction from the loneliness of exile._ _

__I was ill-prepared for the ravishing I received that first night. The pain and shame I felt was not worth what sleep I had gotten. Pitch seemed to use sex as a release, now that the children of the world were safe from his violence. But for Pitch, sex wasn't much different from violence. During his most violent "sessions" he would go so far as to slice my skin and break my bones. After such meetings, I'd need to stay away from the other Guardians as I healed, but I would still go to Pitch after long days of painful rest and healing._ _

__This time, I crash-landed inside, my vision blurred with tears. Pitch took note of this, looking over my frame to find evidence of injury. I was perfectly healthy, despite the wrenching pain inside. Bunnymund was in love with someone else, like I'd warned myself he would be eventually, but all the self-preparing in the world wouldn't sooth the white-hot knife twisting in my stomach. Pitch had probably sorted out my infatuation with Aster long ago, and a glint of understanding passed through his golden eyes as I sat bawling on his floor._ _

__"You're early," he remarked. "I wasn't expecting you for another hour or so."_ _

__"Make it go away. I never want to love again," I begged him. If anyone could crush snuff out someone's feelings, leaving a cold and hollow shell behind, it was Pitch._ _

__"As you wish."_ _

__And the Nightmare King descended._ _


	2. Revelations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took an unexpected turn, but the story writes itself. Sorry it took so long.

Aster looked everywhere, including the lake, for Jackie. Both Poles were still, the seven continents cheerily free of her frost. He finally checked with Sandy, to ask if she was sleeping somewhere. The golden sprite looked glum, shaking his head, and Aster got the feeling that wasn't all the sand sprite had to say.

"What is it?" Aster asked.

A grainy image of Jackie floated above Sandy's head, shifting into a few Zs that were violently slashed out and replaced by a question mark, followed by a picture of Pitch Black and Jackie Frost in an epic battle.

"Are you saying you haven't been able to find Jackie's dreams since we defeated Pitch?" Aster asked, feeling his stomach drop. He had no idea what this could possibly mean, but it couldn't be good.

Sandy nodded.

Aster tapped his foot, dropping into a tunnel. He raced to the bed in the middle of the woods, and slid down the hole quietly. He wasn't sure what he was doing or why, but he chose to be stealthy, not making a single sound as he crept into the Boogieman's lair.

Not that stealth would've been necessary. He could have ridden in with a elephant parade and still not have been heard. Pitch was up to something very noisy and the sounds he was making indicated it was something very promiscuous. His moans, groans, and grunts were accompanied by the sounds of wood creaking, fabric tearing, and the slap of flesh.

_Who in their right mind would couple with Pitch?_ Aster thought.He stood frozen for a moment, processing the thought, and didn't notice the lapse in activity until he heard a familiar female voice. He couldn't place it, or more accurately, _wouldn't_ place it.

"I can still feel," she said. The voice sounded hollow, devoid of all joy.

Pitch chuckled, "Heartbreak is no easy fix, my dearest. Maybe after I finish this, we can go another round."

Aster peaked around the corner, the only thing blocking his view of where Pitch's voice was coming from.

Pitch was completely nude, his grayish-pale form laying on the bed, propped up on the pillow in a triumphant pose. He took a puff from a lit cigarette, the smoke coiling from between his sharp teeth as he exhaled. He was smirking like a satisfied god who had just received a fresh slaughter of human sacrifices. The black silken sheets were soiled, rumpled and torn from activity. Aster felt a his disgust sink to a whole new level.

"There has to be a faster way," his unseen companion sighed exasperatedly.

Pitch's proud smile transformed into a mischievous smirk as he flicked the cigarette butt away. Aster couldn't tell, but he thought he'd been seen. Then again, if he had, wouldn't Pitch do something?

"Come here, beautiful," Pitch crooned.

Aster watched as a slim white form in a sheer black robe cross in front of the bed. His stomach sank as she straddled Pitch's lap. _Please,_ he begged, _don't let it be her._ He knew who it was, but he couldn't help hoping. It was all he had.

"Let me heal you," the Nightmare King purred as he pulled the pale figure into his lap.

She stopped his hand from removing her robe, causing a look of impatience to distort his features. Her white messy of hair fell away revealing a face to pain Aster's heart. One cheek had a bright pink handprint on it that was starting to blacken into a bruise, and her blue eyes were rimmed red from crying. She was still as beautiful to Aster as she had ever been.

Her expression was as cold as her ability. "By hurting me even more? How long have we been at this? Two years? Are you any closer to what you want?"

The Boogieman stood, dumping her on the floor. He glared at her, "He can't love you. He's not a man. He's a beast, a monster."

Aster was lost, but couldn't look away. _Jackie had been seeing Pitch for two years, right under their noses?_ It made him question what else she had done. She definitely the innocent thing he had thought she was. Could he still look at her the same way?

"He's no more monstrous than you!" Jackie retorted.

Aster watched her eyes grow wide with fright as Pitch grew to his full height, leering with rage. He plucked her from the ground by her throat, spitting venom. "He's in love with someone else. I've offered you the world." He tossed her aside, she hit the corner and crumpled into a heap before Aster. She didn't move. "Maybe _you_ are the monster here, Jacqueline."

Silence.

Pitch wasn't surprised, and meeting Aster's gaze evenly, he gave a proud smirk. "Come to collect your new toy? I think I might have broken it."

"What in the bloody hell is going on?" Aster demanded, stepping out from the shadows.

"It's exactly as it looks, Rabbit. She was my toy, and now she's broken. So you can have her," Pitch chuckled darkly.

"She's been doing this for _two years?"_ Aster's voiced raised in fury near the end of the question.

"Doing what?" Pitch tested coyly.

Aster fumbled for words for a moment. "Hav- Ma- Coupling with you."

"Yes." Pitch's answer was curt with a hint of what Jackie would call "smart-assery." There was more, Aster knew it, but he couldn't place his finger on it. He didn't have the time to, as the Nightmare King kicked them out. "Take your toy and go, Rabbit. Maybe one day you'll regret neglecting your playthings."

Darkness swirled around him, but he found himself in a grassy plain, a fully clothed Jackie at his feet. She was still out cold, and he could hear the faint uneven pattering of her heart. His mind flashed back to the awful things he'd heard, and as he replayed the gruesome noise in his head, he distinguished a sound he hadn't noticed before. He had no idea how he hadn't, it was as plain as the ears on his head. He was certain he had heard the broken sound of nearly silent wails, sobs, and screams.

What was he to make of that?

 

I awoke to a bright light. I couldn't focus on anything. There were looming figures, whispering voices, and a fast growing sensation. The pain was that of being torn in two, focused into a small area of my chest. It hurt to breathe, to think, and just to _be._

I grasped for a thought, anything to distract me from the agony of my existence.

There was the night I met _him._

A cold spring night, after a special holiday. Oh, he was so angry with me. But for some reason, I couldn't take the situation seriously. I mean, he was a six foot tall member of the rodent family that painted chicken offspring. An Australian one at that. Those green eyes had filled me with warmth when they fixated on me in irritation, something I hadn't felt for as long as I could remember. He wasn't gentle about whatever scolding he was trying to get through my head, but that didn't bug me.

All I could think was: He's looking at _me._

But it wasn't the fact that he could see me that excited me. It was that he took the time to. He could've cussed and been on his merry way, but even waist deep in snow, he took the time talk to me. Not that is was much more than a one-sided conversation with snide remarks interjected by yours truly, but it was special.

Maybe that's why my stupid, childish freaking heart picked him. Why my brain played tricks on me, reading more into smiles and laughs, over-analyzing his movements. It was impossible not to fret over details of his paying attention to me, when no one glanced my way for centuries. Even after the children cheered my name, I longed to hear him say my name or give me a smile. Just an eyeroll would do. Anything to feed my addiction.

I'd tried my hardest to be better than the child he'd found in a snow drift decades ago. I spent hours combing my hair whenever there was the slightest of chances that I might see him. I forced myself to leave the grass unharmed outside of my wintry wonderlands. I practiced my smile in the mirror for weeks, trying to see what might work best. I swallowed my more boyish impulses to slug my teammates' shoulders after a fight. I even volunteered to hide his precious gifts for the children. The amount of effort I was putting into every hour he was around was exhausting, but I couldn't stop.

And then he was talking to Toothiana. I'd noticed the signs of him taking a liking to someone. His fur was cleaner, his teeth whiter, and his garments laundered. He was ansty, spacey even. I had reasonable doubt that I was the cause of these changes. After all, I _was_ the nasty Blizzard of '68 and nothing more to him. That didn't keep me from hoping for the Guardian of Hope, and during the dark nights of carnal ravishings, I begged the Man in the Moon to send him as my rescuer.

Until I happened upon a rather strange encounter in his Warren during a "visit." (Well, I couldn't be the golden girl _all_ the time, or something would seem amiss.) The giant stone eggs hadn't caught up with me yet, and I was making my way to his favorite tree. I took the longer route, circling around the back of the tree, and stopped in my tracks. He was embracing a woman, who I determined was, based on the descriptions I'd heard, Mother Nature. She was gorgeous, and even though they were only hugging, I envied her. There wasn't time for much more because the animated rocks had found me, and the chase was on. After which, there was no sign of her.

Even during all the thinking, distracting, and speculating, the pain I was feeling didn't subside. I still couldn't bring myself to think his name.

The light didn't seem as bright anymore, though, and the voices didn't seem so faint. Faces became clearer, lips moving to match words such as "child" and "pain" or even "liar." There was a beard, feathers, and gold. Finally my eyes settled on him.

Those green eyes bore into mine for what seemed like an eternity. They were empty, but my own filled with tears. I wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but I was sure they knew my secret. But would they ask to hear my reason?

Would they listen?

Would he care?

I couldn't bear not to think it anymore, so I spoke it.

His name.

_"Aster."_


End file.
